Flat figures propped in corners added some life to empty rooms

Saturday

Jun 30, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 1, 2012 at 10:00 AM

A dummy board is a decoration first used in the 16th century, probably in Holland, then England.

A dummy board is a decoration first used in the 16th century, probably in Holland, then England. It is a figure made from a flat piece of wood carved to make a tall flat "person" to stand in a corner of an empty room. The edges of the board were beveled so they would not be seen from the front and the figure would look more lifelike. A board in the back was used to prop up the figure near a wall or chair. Some figures were made to look like household help: a sweeping maid, a seated girl peeling apples, a maid carrying a tray with food. Dogs and cats were also made as dummy boards and placed near a fireplace or chair. An antique pair of dummy boards sold recently for $6,000, and a single one for $950.

Q: My aunt gave me a sterling-silver telephone dialer. It is in its original box with a card from Tiffany that tells what it is and how to use it. Can you tell me something about this item?

A: Telephone dialers were used to keep fingernails from breaking when dialing a rotary phone. They look like the handle of a spoon with a small knob at the end to be inserted into the holes on the dial. Rotary dials were first made about 1900 and were standard on phones made in the 1920s to the 1960s. The first push-button phones were made in 1941 but were not available commercially until 1963. Today the dialer is an oddity worth its weight in silver. The box and card add $50.

Q: Could you tell me what an original NFL Jeff Garcia figure is worth? It dates from when he was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.

A: McFarlane Toys of Tempe, Ariz., issued a 7-inch figure of Jeff Garcia in 2002. Garcia, now 42, played for the 49ers from 1999 to 2003. If your figure is in its unopened original package, it would sell for $35 to $40; if unwrapped, it's worth less than half that.

Current prices

Prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions.

Terry Kovel, an authority on collectibles, writes for King Features Syndicate. Write to her in care of The Dispatch, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019. Visit her at www.kovels.com.

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